Like a lot of news programs, National Public Radio has taken to trying to explain the complexities of the economy to people like me with a new segment — Planet Money — that breaks it all down into layman’s terms.

Their piece on Friday — how LeBron James is underpaid at $17.5 million, but that is good for the league overall.

“He’s getting hosed,” says Kevin Grier, an economist from the University of Oklahoma…

Now all (the rules of the salary cap and maximum salaries) are all laid out in the collective bargaining agreement between the owners and the players. Why would the players want this system? Because most players are not LeBron James.

“The union votes on the contract by majority rule,” Grier says. “The guy in the middle is the crucial voter.”

The salary cap means that some of the money that would otherwise go to James goes to the guy in the middle.

He then goes on to talk about how the salary cap and luxury tax make it possible for Oklahoma City or even a medium market like Miami to have a title contender. Otherwise, the Lakers and Knicks could just go Yankees on the league and guy everyone good up. Even with the cap there are times it feels like they do (because they are willing to pay a tax others are not).

This is a lot of stuff we talked about during the lockout — if you really wanted to kill off “super teams” you would remove the max salary but leave the cap and tax in pace. Someone like LeBron would draw $40 million a year — not just because what he does on the court but because what he means for ticket sales, sponsorships in the arena, regional television revenue and more. At that price you couldn’t pair superstars.

Of course, is that what fans really want? Some say yes but ratings say no — we watch the super teams.

But I don’t think you’ll see a dramatic change in the salary structure in the NBA in the near future. As the economy picks up and revenue starts increasing (as it is this year) I think there will be a balance and a desire on both the part of the owners and the players to not go through another lockout. At least I hope they look at hockey and think so.

I don’t remember playing tonight. I didn’t play. Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. No Knute Rockne speeches. It’s your job. If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. If a doctor botches operations, he’s not a doctor anymore. If you’re a basketball player, you come ready. It’s called maturity. It’s your job.

Like it or not, motivation is part of an NBA coach’s job.

But that’s also precisely what Popovich is doing.

His credentials dwarf any other coach’s. He can play to his own ego and absolve himself of responsibility – and players will seek to please him. His years of success have earned him the ability to motivate this way, a method no other coach could use without alienating his team.

So, why not hold Motiejunas to what became a four-year, $31 million offer sheet once matched? Houston got something in return – a later trigger date on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ 2017-18 salary. Originally, that decision had to be made March 1 – which would’ve meant dropping Motiejunas from the team this season to prevent his salary from counting next season. Now, the Rockets can make that call in July, after this season is complete.

The following two Julys, Houston will also have a choice on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ upcoming salary or dropping him.

Essentially, Motiejunas is signing the most lucrative Hinkie Special in NBA history. If he plays well and stays healthy, the Rockets have Motiejunas at an affordable rate. If he struggles or his back injuries flare up, they can drop him with little to no penalty.

After they backed themselves into this corner, Motiejunas and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, didn’t do so bad. Considering the similarity between this contract and the Nets’ original offer sheet, it seems Houston helped Armstrong save face after a bungled free agency (which is easier to accept when you’re adding a talented reserve to a formidable team).

But for how little is guaranteed and how much control the Rockets hold over the next four years, wouldn’t Motiejunas have been better off accepting the $4,433,683 qualifying offer?

This means Motiejunas can’t sign with the Nets, who signed him to the original offer sheet, for one year.

I bet it also means Motiejunas and Houston have agreed to a new contract. Otherwise, why release him from the offer sheet? The Rockets would be giving up a tremendous amount of leverage out of the goodness of their hearts – unless this is just a prelude to a new deal with Houston.